Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mental Health Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Iowa City expands co‑responder mental‑health liaison model; staff report calls rose to about 1,200 in 2025
Summary
City staff described expansion of a mental‑health liaison co‑responder model that added a second liaison and increased responses from about 650 calls in 2024 to just over 1,200 calls in 2025; staff said goal remains 24‑hour coverage by FY2028.
City staff described an expansion of Iowa City’s mental‑health liaison program at the Jan. 6 work session, saying the program moved to a co‑responder model in 2025 and substantially increased service capacity.
“Kirk Layman said the program launched in 2021 and added a second liaison in 2024; in 2025 the city launched a co‑responder model pairing a field liaison with a sworn police officer,” Layman said. “The team responded to just over 1,200 calls in 2025 compared with about 650 calls in 2024, and the city remains committed to achieving 24‑hour coverage by FY2028.”
Councilors heard the expansion described as allowing more calls to be served while preserving follow‑up capacity and connections to services; staff said continued partnership with community providers is central to the model. No formal action was taken during the work session.
